Orders from our last fundraiser
I get bored quickly. I don't know if it is simply my personality, a result of my adult ADD, or internal wiring, but I lose focus and tend to bounce from one project to the next. Often, I struggle with time management and realistically estimate how long it should take me to complete a project. Just ask one bib overall wearing wonder buns how frustrating it can be to deal with me, my ideas, impatience, and follow through. Eric keeps me focused and on point. However, I believe he finds my impulsivity frustrating. Thank goodness, he is a patient man.
I was filled with grand ideas when I first began my soap-making journey. I wanted to build a website, participate in live shows, do wholesale, offer fundraisers, open a store, and host live events. At the time, I had no idea what it would take to make all these things happen. I could not wrap my head around the fact that I didn't have enough time, funding, or workforce to execute my grand ideas successfully. That is where my bib overall wearing wonder buns steps in, puts things in perspective, helps me create a plan, and then executes the said plan. We balance each other well. I am a dreamer and idea factory, and he is the common sense-filled logistics guy. I jokingly call him a nay-sayer, but truthfully, he is the voice of reason. I know that when he tells me no, it only means not right now. Except for the storefront, he has made it crystal clear that there will never be a brick-and-mortar storefront, period. Sigh. Just think of the fun I could have with a storefront, dear reader: old clawfoot tubs for display, bubbles everywhere, shelves and rounders filled with products...the possibilities are endless. However, I accept there will never be a storefront. Owning a brick-and-mortar store is a whole new level of marriage to your business.
To date, we have successfully implemented all my ideas for a well-diversified business—diversification is my buzzword. In my little brain, I believe it is essential to diversify our business plan so we aren't relying upon one stream of income. So far, this approach has served us well. When online sales dip, and they always do, wholesale sales carry us through. When in-person sales are low, online sales make up the difference. Finally, we have added another desired level of diversification to our business, and one near and dear to my heart is fundraising.
I am genuinely excited about our fundraisers. When I was teaching, I ran a community service student group. Our primary source of income was fundraisers. Fundraisers made it possible for my students to do good in the community. Whether it was purchasing materials to do arts and crafts with older adults, materials for school beautification, or t-shirts for the kids to show their pride, fundraising played an important role. As a group advisor, I struggled to find fundraising options that were easy, profitable and offered high-quality products. I was frustrated at our limited options. Most companies provided sub-par products, low-profit margins, and limited options.
Now that I am a small business owner, I can offer everything I sought in fundraising and more. Our goal as a company and company owners is to provide customer care that goes above and beyond. I view customer care as the foundation of our business. It does not escape me that soap can be purchased from any big box store at a discount, that there are hundreds upon hundreds of handmade soap makers out there, and that my soap family is the one that makes it possible for us to do what we do together and on our farm. We could not do this without you, so I will happily go above and beyond to make you happy and offer only the best experience with the highest quality products I can produce. You deserve to be cared for.
We take the same approach to fundraising. I aim to provide an easy process with a fair profit margin and make the fundraiser as successful as possible. We have completed over a dozen fundraisers, and this aspect of our business has become one of my favorite parts. I'm unsure if it is the connection to young people, my background in education, or the satisfaction of knowing we get to play a role in making young people's dreams a reality, but I get a thrill from packing up a fundraiser.
When I help with a fundraiser, I consider my experience as a former club advisor. From my experience, these are the things I like about our fundraiser. First and foremost, I like that we offer a higher profit percentage than most other options. Offering a fundraiser that the organization actually makes a profit was of the utmost importance. We provide the same pricing as our wholesale accounts. Secondly, the process has to be easy and simplistic. We strive for clear communication about the process, simplify the process, and go above and beyond to make the process as stress-free as possible. Next, I like the fact that our goods are nonperishable. There is no concern about spoilage, food poisoning, cold storage, or urgency to deliver to buyers. Families can allocate delivery times over several days rather than rush to deliver food before it spoils or worry about cold storage space. Also, I feel we provide a superior quality product that is useful. Almost everyone uses soap, so there is a universal appeal to our fundraiser. I also like that we are small enough to pay close attention to scheduling an organization's fundraiser. When we receive a request for a fundraiser, we are diligent about not overlapping local organizations. Suppose Smithtown Wrestling has a fundraiser scheduled for December. We receive a request from the Smithtown Band to do a fundraiser in the same month. In that case, we will gently advise the band of the overlap and offer dates we feel would be more beneficial to their success. I greatly enjoy the attention to detail and making the most of the opportunity for a successful sale. My favorite part is providing a care package to the advisor and a reward basket for the top seller. One of my favorite aspects of our work is making someone's day with a bit of surprise.
It has taken us years to get here, but slowly, we are making my visions for our business a reality. (There is an emphasis on slow. The Bibbed Wonder does everything slowly and carefully, like driving, home improvements, and making all my great ideas happen.) On a serious note, it's good that he is cautious and strategic. More than one person has pointed out my impulsivity and not in a flattering tone. We are a good team.
With the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, we would love to make all your fundraising dreams a reality. I gently encourage you to inquire about our fundraiser, discuss scheduling options, and let us help your group realize its goals. We work tirelessly to make you happy and your fundraiser a success. A bit of advice from one former organization advisor to another: read carefully, ask for clarification if needed (there are no dumb questions), plan for a two-week sale period, leave enough time for stragglers to get their orders turned in (working with young people can be a lot like herding baby goats they make a lot of noise and run around without a lot of direction, oh, and lots of drama!), and let us help you with the details. If you are out of state or not local, it's even better. You will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to succeed.
On this overcast day, stay safe, be smart, and please consider us for your fundraising needs. If you aren't an organization advisor, please spread the word and keep washing your hands.
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